A trio of former Victoria Grizzlies are four wins away from hoisting the Fred Page Cup, emblematic of the B.C. Hockey League championship.
Sniper Wade Murphy and defenceman Nick Buchanan are among the Interior Conference champion Penticton Vees looking to secure a title. Evan Richardson and the Powell River Kings will represent the Coastal Conference.
The series starts in Penticton tonight at 7 and continues at the South Okanagan Events Centre on Saturday before switching to Powell River for Games 3 and 4 on Tuesday and Wednesday at Hap Parker Arena.
"I know them all too well," Murphy said of Powell River. "They've been there now for four years so they obviously have experience. They're a defensive team and we're more offensive so it should be quite the battle.
"It should be some good hockey. Both teams are looking pretty good. We've sort of taken the same path."
The Vees, ranked the No. 1 team in the country, were an incredible 29-0-0-1 at home during the regular season, while the Kings finished 24-4-1-1 at Hap Parker.
In the playoffs, Penticton finally suffered a regulation-time loss at home, as well as an overtime defeat to go 4-1-0-1 to date. Powell River is 5-1-0-0 in home post-season play.
As Murphy - who was traded to Penticton from Victoria at the deadline, while Buchanan was shipped at the start of the year - stated, the Kings are in the league final for a fourth straight year, having lost the last three to the Vernon Vipers.
"We've learned a lot over the last few years about what it will take," said Kings general manager and head coach Kent Lewis. "We know, from experience.
"We've had to work hard. We lost a lot of key pieces from last year. We know what we're capable of and we know how we have to play, and we have the guys to do it," added Lewis, who's defence-first scheme will be put to the test.
Meanwhile, Murphy is still pinching himself about the position he's in - four victories away from the cup.
Asked how he would feel about the win, the Victoria native, who is expected to be drafted by a National Hockey League team this summer, said: "I would be amazed. Shocked. Overwhelmed."
"Vernon has won it the last three years, so it's nice for a new team to win it. I think we deserve to win it, too," added Murphy, who had 36 goals and 55 assists in the regular-season and has seven goals and eight helpers in playoffs.
"Statistics are nice, but the championship is what I want to go for. In the end, that defines a player. Rings or trophies instead of stats."
Richardson, a Nanaimo native who was traded to Powell River in the offseason, had 19 goals and 36 assists for the Kings during the season and has four goals and five assists in the playoffs.
The winner of the BCHL final will go on to face the victor of the Alberta Junior Hockey League championship - between the Brooks Bandits and Fort McMurray Oil Barons - in the Doyle Cup.
mannicchiarico@timescolonist.com
